AG ONLINE
The College of Agriculture Newsletter
Iowa State University
January 26, 1996 No. 36
C O N T E N T S
COLLEGE NEWS
- Governor's proposal includes ag-related items
- Ag Council officers named for '96
- New location and hours for CommLab
- College applications, admissions up slightly
- Convocation will be rescheduled
- Upcoming successful grantsmanship workshops
- Symposium on improving students' communication
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Content is king on great Web sites
- Check out the college Web site
INFOGRAZING
- Universities providing ready-made expertise
EXTERNAL VOICES
- "Bridges between disciplines must be built"
MARGINALIA
- A market that may give paws
C O L L E G E N E W S
GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL INCLUDES AG-RELATED ITEMS
In his proposed state budget for FY97, Governor Branstad recommended new funds for livestock research facilities and rural development initiatives at ISU. See this week's Inside Iowa State for a story on the proposed budget.
AG COUNCIL OFFICERS NAMED FOR '96
The College of Agriculture Student Council has new officers. They are: Dan Belzer, ag education, president; Andrea Steffens, dairy science, vice president; Lori Grovert, ag education, secretary; and Tracy Pladna, agronomy, treasurer. They serve this semester and the next.
NEW LOCATION AND HOURS FOR COMMLAB
The Communications Laboratory has a new location, phone and hours. Contact Lee-Ann Kastman and Susan Booker, 424 Ross Hall, phone: 4-0908, e-mail: lkastman@iastate.edu and sbooker@iastate.edu. CommLab hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, and Thursday, 3:30-5 p.m. CommLab offers individual assistance to undergrads taking communications-intensive courses in the college.
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS, ADMISSIONS UP SLIGHTLY
As of Jan. 1, applications and admissions to the College of Agriculture for fall semester 1996 are up slightly compared with a year ago. Applications total 855, compared with 833 in 1995. Admissions are at 699, compared with 688 in '95. An important reminder: Applications and admissions do not automatically translate into new students. Last year, for example, ISU had its highest ever applications and admissions totals and ended up with fewer students than the year before.
CONVOCATION WILL BE RESCHEDULED
The College of Agriculture spring convocation, which was canceled Jan. 18 due to the snowstorm, will be rescheduled. Watch Ag Online for more details.
UPCOMING SUCCESSFUL GRANTSMANSHIP WORKSHOPS
Two more workshops in the Successful Grantsmanship Series have been set. "From Theory to Measurement: Hypothesis Development and Experimental Design" will be held Feb. 26 and "Faculty-Industry Research Relations" will be March 25. Both run 7-9 p.m. in the Memorial Union, with a dessert buffet break. The series is sponsored by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Coordinators are Sue Lamont, sjlamont@iastate.edu, and Prem Paul, pspaul@iastate.edu.
SYMPOSIUM ON IMPROVING STUDENTS' COMMUNICATION
Reminder: College of Agriculture faculty are encouraged to attend "Students as Future Professionals: Posters and Production Plans," a symposium to learn about and share ideas on improving students' communication. It'll be held noon-1 p.m., Feb. 7, and repeated 3:30-4:30 p.m., Feb. 8, both in 3140 Agronomy. The symposium is the second in a series sponsored by the curriculum subcommittee on communications. The third and last one, "Students Collaborating: Group Work and Peer Review," will be held April 3 and 4. For more information: David Russell, 4-4724 or drrussel@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Jan. 31: Applications due, Dean of Agriculture's International Agricultural Competitiveness and Sustainability Grants, 104 Curtiss
Jan. 31: Nominations due, Ag Student of the Year, Iowa Agriculturist, 16H Hamilton
Feb. 1: Nominations due, Excellence in International Agriculture Award, 122 Curtiss
Feb. 7: Symposium on Improving Students' Communications Skills, noon-1 p.m., 3140 Agronomy
Feb. 8: Symposium on Improving Students' Communications Skills, 3:30-4:30, 3140 Agronomy
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
CONTENT IS KING ON GREAT WEB SITES
What makes a great World Wide Web site? According to Internet Connect, Inc., the most important trait is not flashy design, it's original content. Sites with useful information stand out and will be revisited. For more advice and information on WWW sites, visit: http://www.webreference.com/greatsite.html.
CHECK OUT THE COLLEGE WEB SITE
A committee of faculty, staff and student members has been working on expanding and improving the College of Agriculture's Web site. Check it out at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/. Comments? Contact Ed Adcock, Ag Information, edadcock@iastate.edu.
I N F O G R A Z I N G
UNIVERSITIES PROVIDING READY-MADE EXPERTISE
Skills learned in engineering school are opening career doors on Wall Street. A former managing director at J.P. Morgan says, "We look for the ability to work with computers and analytical and mathematical grounding. In the old days, we hired many more generalists and taught them about banking. Today the markets have become much more technical and analytical. It would be a waste of resources to teach somebody all that when we can buy that expertise at universities." MIT's dean of engineering says, "Engineering is becoming a twenty-first century liberal arts degree." (Technology Review, January)
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
"BRIDGES BETWEEN DISCIPLINES MUST BE BUILT"
"General education is not complete until the subject matter of one discipline is made to touch another. Bridges between disciplines must be built, and the core program must be seen ultimately as relating the curriculum consequentially to life. In a complex, interdependent world we simply cannot afford to graduate students who fail to place their knowledge and lives in perspective." Ernest L. Boyer, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for the past 16 years. Boyer died in December. (Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 5)
M A R G I N A L I A
A MARKET THAT MAY GIVE PAWS
Asians consider chicken feet a delicacy, and the U.S. now sells them about $130 million worth annually. Georgia ships more than 10 million chicken feet to China each week. Prior to the newly discovered market, most chicken feet were cooked down for animal feed and sold for 1 to 3 cents per pound. The Chinese pay more than 25 cents per pound for Grade A "paws." About 8 "paws" make a pound. (Top Producer, December)
AG ONLINE
Ag Online is a biweekly newsletter for ISU College of Agriculture faculty and staff. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to bmeyer@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe: Send "Ag Online unsubscribe" to same address. Comments? Contact editors Brian Meyer (bmeyer@iastate.edu) and Ed Adcock (edadcock@iastate.edu), Agriculture Information Services, 304 Curtiss Hall, Ames, IA 50011. Phone: 515-294-5616. Fax: 515-294-8662.
Next issue: Feb. 9. Deadline: Feb. 5.